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BIO_ALL IN1_StGd_tese_ch03
8/7/03
5:45 PM
Page 200
Name______________________________
Class __________________
Date ______________
Chapter 3 The Biosphere
Section 3–1 What Is Ecology?
(pages 63–65)
This section identifies the different levels of organization that ecologists
study. It also describes methods used to study ecology.
Interactions and Interdependence
(page 63)
1. What is ecology? It is the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between
organisms and their environment.
2. What does the biosphere contain? It contains the combined portions of the planet in which
all of life exists, including land, water, and atmosphere.
Levels of Organization
(page 64)
3. Why do ecologists ask questions about events and organisms that range in
complexity from an individual to the biosphere? They ask those questions to
understand relationships within the biosphere.
4. Complete the table about levels of organization.
LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION
Definition
Species
A group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce
fertile offspring
Population
A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
Community
An assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area
Ecosystem
A collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place, together with their
physical environment
Biome
A group of ecosystems that have the same climate and dominant communities
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Level
BIO_ALL IN1_StGd_tese_ch03
8/7/03
5:45 PM
Page 201
Name______________________________
Class __________________
Date ______________
5. What is the highest level of organization that ecologists study? The highest level is the
entire biosphere itself.
Ecological Methods
(page 65)
6. What are the three basic approaches scientists use to conduct modern ecological
research?
a. Observing
b. Experimenting
c. Modeling
7. Why might an ecologist set up an artificial environment in a laboratory?
An ecologist might do that to imitate and manipulate conditions that organisms
would encounter in the natural world.
8. Why are many ecological phenomena difficult to study? They occur over long periods of
time or on such large spatial scales.
9. Why do ecologists make models? They make models to gain insight into complex
phenomena.
10. Is the following sentence true or false? An ecological model may consist of a
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
mathematical formula.
true